"Elections are very humbling," Hanna told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. "You put yourself out there. You're so vulnerable, you do your best, and then you leave it in people's hands. That's the beauty of our system here. It should be humbling."

Hanna won by more than 6,500 votes, taking in 15,518 votes to Dukelow's 8,833. Registered write-in candidate, Greg Dannecker, a city alderman for District 6, garnered 75 votes.

Dukelow, who did not win any of the city's 15 districts, conceded to Hanna by phone at about 9:50 p.m. Hanna said he hopes Dukelow will continue to work with local government leaders and serve on the city's Plan Commission as vice chair.

"I appreciate the work Josh has done and hope he stays involved," Hanna said. "He's brought a lot of young people to be part of the process, too."

Dukelow said he will still be involved in city politics, but that Appleton "is in good hands."

"I want to reinforce that the campaign to refresh Appleton isn't ending tonight, it's really just the beginning," Dukelow told USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. "We're going to be involved in debates, and be visibly represented in city politics going forward."

Dukelow said he might run for office again in 2020, but declined to provide specifics.

"I recognize as a first-time candidate that they were taking a risk," Dukelow said. "I think it was a good risk and I could have brought a lot of good things to the city. But I want (voters) to know that ... we have a very good mayor leading the city for the next four years."

Hanna was joined by more than 30 friends and supporters at Katsu-Ya to celebrate his win Tuesday night. The group popped sparkling wine bottles just after 10, and Hanna's wife, Lisa, made a toast to the group, thanking them for their support.

"I think it was her radio commercial that put us over the top," Tim Hanna joked to the crowd after the toast.

Kami Lynch, Appleton city clerk, predicted an 85 percent turnout for the city, using a formula based on the number of registered voters in the city. The state recommends using a formula with the number of eligible voters, as using registered voters can inflate the turnout rate.

For the current term, the mayor’s salary is $94,686. The increase will bring the annual pay to $96,106 for 2016-17, $97,548 for 2017-18, $99,011 for 2018-19 and $100,496 for 2019-20.